Lawn mower



I Aprll 5, 1927. H. B. NEWTON LAWN Mom-zn' Filed Nw 7 1925 I @13% Q7@ f /LQK/w lll/1713 M ity/"di,

Patented pr. 5,192.7.`

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT B. NEWTON, 0F BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAWN MOWER.

Application led November This invention relates to a lawn mower which includes an axle supported by traction wheels and driven by mechanism which includes said wheels, and resilient cutting blades connected with the axle, and revolved by the rotation thereof to cut grass.

UThe chief object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of the blades and of the means connecting the blades with the axle, whereby at a relatively small cost, and by the employment of a minimum number of parts, an efficient and 'durable lawn mower "1s produced, the blades of which may be quickly and conveniently removed for sharpening, and replaced for Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,-

Figure 1 is a front view of a lawn mower embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is anend view of the same, Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, showing an enlargement of a portion of Figure 1, and illustrating by' dotted lines ka part of the operation of connecting a blade with the axle. l

Figure 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Figure 3, looking toward the left, the bladeshown engaged with the arm. 1

by Fig. 3 being omitted.

Figure 5 is a side view of twoblades formed from a single strip, portions of the strip being-broken away.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the spider-arms connecting the blades with:

the axle.

Figure 7 shows enlarged, and. in perspective, a portion of the spiderarm shown by Figure 6, and a portion of a blade partly In vthe drawings, 12 designates an axle' supported land adapted to. be rotatedby traction wheels 13, at opposlte end portlons reference characters indicate the Vsame parts in all ofthe figures.

7, 1925. serial 'Nol 67,567.

of the axle, any"suitable one-way :driving mechanism being provided, including oneway clutches, and .organized to permit the .axle to remain at rest when the mower'is moving backward, and cause the rotation of the axle when the mower is moving forward.V

Driving mechanism adapted to. operate as above stated is well known. It is therefore unnecessary to describe the same, further than to stateithat the traction wheels 13 have internal gears 130 (Figure 2) meshing with intermediate gears 131 which transmit one-way torque from the traction wheels to the axle.

` In carrying out my invention, I secure spider-arms 14 to the axle 12. As here4 shown, said arms are formed on base blocks 15, fitted 4to the axle, and movably fixed thereto by clamping bolts 16, having nuts 17. Each bolt secures two arms 14, as shown by Figures 3 and4. The-arms are oblong in cross section as shown by Figs. 3 and 4, and

each has an integralkeeper at its outer end, adapted to engage ,one end of. a flexible blade 18. The arms 412 project laterally from. the axle, and are preferably inclined relative thereto. The armsare arranged in palrs, one arm of each pair engagingone end ofaa blade, and being inclined in onedirection, and the other arm 'the op osite end of the blade, and being inclined 1n the opposite direction. The angularity o rdirection of projection of one armdifers from that of the other, so that the engagement of a f resilient. blade with both arms imparts a spiral curvature to the'blade.

I prefer to form the integral keepers by cutting open slots 19 in the opposite edges of the arms close to the outer ends thereof, so that a substantially T-shaped'keeper is provided, vcomposed of a head 20 and a" neck 21.

In the opposite end portions of the blade 18, I form keyhole lslots,each including a circular portion 22, and a narrower portion 23. Theform and arrangement of the keepers and the keyhole slotsare suchl that the blade 18Vmay be applied to the keeper on one arm -14, of a pair of arms, by holding the blade-in the abnormal or inoperative position indicatedby vFigure 7, said positlon difl'ering .from the'normal operative` position, as indicated by Fig. 8, moving the'bladel sidewise until its slot receives the keeper, and

then swinging the blade edgewise on the A keeper to theoperative position indicated* by Figure 8. The circulary portion 22 'vof the slot is thus caused to embrace the neck'21 of the keeper, and Aprevent endwisev and ed ewise movements of the blade, a porf tion o Vthe blade being located in the arm slots 19, so that sidewise movements of the blade are prevented.- The end of the blade and the keeper of the arm shown at the left in Figure 3, are positively connected by the above described operation. To connect .the

i5 the position position to blade with the other opposite end of the withdraw the bolt 16 arm 14 of the pair, I sufficiently to permit the separation of the base 15 from the axle, and turn the arm to shown by dotted lines in Figure 3, thus locating the keeper of that arm in enter the keyhole slot in the corresponding end of the blade, when the latter is abnormally flexed, as indicated by dotted so lines. The arm is then swung back to and time imparted an means for positively securing the blades in their operative positions, no fastening means additional to the arms and blades being 'required.

Each blade is made from a resilient strip of steel, and has parallel longitudinal'edges,

one of which is sharpened and constitutes a cutting edge 18?. The blade has transverse end edges 181?, which are oblique to the lonygitudinal edges. Said end edges intersect the cutting edge at acute angles, as shown by Figure 5, which represents two blades cut from a single-strip. One of the end edges 18" is preferably longer than the other. The major axes of the keyhole slots are preferably oblique to the longitudinal edges, as shown by Figure 5.

Owing to the described form of the blade, and the described arrangement of the key.- hole slots, the cutting edge 18 is longer than the back edge,

f the cuttingedge, and t e keyhole slots are adapted to be engaged with the keepers, without requiring an extreme abnormal flexure of the blade in engagingone end thereof with an arm which has been swung from its operative position. 4'Moreover, said form and arrangement are advantageous when the arms are arranged in groups, as shown by Figurel, each4 group including -a pair of arms cooperating, as described, with a blade.

- The groups are arranged in tandem order on the axle, and the arrangement is such'that the inner ends of the blades engaged with the arms of one group, project into the spaces between the inner `ends of the blades engaged the end edges are wholly behind with the arms of the next group, so that the blades overlap and collectively cut a swath whose width is equal to the distance between the outer ends of the Iblades, this being practically the distance between the traction wheels 13.

The axle- 12 is journaled in bearings 25,

shown in elevation by Figure 1, and fixed to lar orifices 2G, Figs. 10 and-11. In the inner l end of the hub is formed an annular recess 27, communicating with the orifices 26. confine the hub against displacement to the right from the position shown by Figures 9 and 11 I provide balls 28, inserted loosely in the orifices and bearing on the axle. "lhediameter of the balls is such that their outer portions project into the recess 27, and form stops which are adapted to bear on the inner end 27a of the recess, and prevent more than a slight endwise movement of the hub from the position shown by Figures 9 and 11.

The balls are placed in the orifices 16, after the hub hasbeen placed o n the bearing 25, and before the axle is inserted in the bearing. The balls are loose, and in case they project into the bearing, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1l, they are forced outward by the axle to the full line position, when the axle is inserted in the bearing. Provision is thus made at a very slight expense, for positively confining the hub on the bearing without frictional rmistance to the rotation of either the hub or the axle.

The direction of rotation of the axle is )referably such that the cutting edges of the blades move in a circular path in the direction indicated by the arrow a2 (Figure 2), so that the cutting edges move forward and upward in cutting. I prefer to make the blades shorterthan the distance between the traction wheels and to arrange the blades and thespider-arms in groups as shown.

The arrangement of the blades and their cutting edges shown by Figure 1, is such that the spiral cutting/edges of the blades in one group cut progressively from one traction wheel inward ton the midlength portion of the space between lthe wheels,L while the spiral edges of the blades in the other group cut progressively inward from the other traction wheel to said midlength portion. The tendency of the blades is therefor to cut toward the center of the mower, or in other words, toward the midlength of the space between the traction wheels, this tendency causing the blades to incline .y the Tol grass being cut toward the center and prevent it from clogging the hubs of the trac-` tion wheels.

The resilient blades, detachably secured, assume a substantially straight forni when det ched, so that they` may be readily sharpenec, and are easily caused to assume a suitable spiral form by the operation of attaching them to the arms 14. Owing to the fact that the blades do not cooperate with a fixed cutting element, the spiral formation is not necessarily mathematically exact or predetermined, and mayA deviate somewhat from a true spiral, all that is essential being to producea formation that `will ensure substantial uniformity of the lieigbt of the 'cut grass. The blades are rigidly supported only at their ends, and aretelsewherefree to spring and yield, so that they are adapted to pass 11n-injured, or with a minimum' of injury, over obstructions on the ground projecting into their path.

I claim:

1. A lawn mower comprising a driven axle, spider arms fixed to and projecting laterally therefrom and .provided with keep-a ers at their outer ends, the arms beingarranged in pairs, and resilient blades having -keyhole slots intheir end portions adapted to receive the keepers when'the bladesare moved sidewise upon the Iarms to an abnormal inoperative position, and to be interlocked with the keepers by edgewise swing: ing movements of the blades to normal operati've positions, one arm of each pair having a different angular arrangement from the other, causing a spiral formation of. the blade engaged therewith.

2. A lawn mower as specified by claim 1, one arm of each Bair of spider arms being movably fixed. to the axle, whereby it may be swung to and from a normal operative position to a position where its keeper will enter the keyhole slot in the blade when the latter is in an abnormal inoperative position, the arm and blade being positively engaged by movement thereof to their operative positions.

3. In a lawn mower, aspider-arm oblong irr cioss section, having means at its inner end whereby it may be movably fixed to an axle, and provided in its edges adjacent ,the outer end with slots forming with the outer r' end a T-shaped keeper integral with the arm, and a cutting blade having a keyhole slot adapted to receive said keeper when tlg blade is in an abnormal inoperative positio ,.2 said keeper being positively engaged with .the keyhole slot when the cutting blade is in a normal operative position.

i 4. In a lawn mower, a resilient bla.tle'pio` vided with parallel longitudinal edges, one of which is a cutting edge, and with keyhole slots in its opposite ends, the longitudinal axes of the slots being oblique to the lonaxle, spider arms fixed to and projectingv laterally therefrom and provided with, keepers at their outei ends, the arms being arranged in groups each including a pair 7of cooperating arms, the groups being located in tandem order on the axle, and resilient blades, one for each pair of' arms, each blade having a forwardly moving cutting edge,v

the blades being provided with meansfor positively engaging the keepers on said arms, the arrangement being such that each blade ismaintained in spiral form'by its engagement with a pair of arms, and the inner ends of the blades engaged with the between the inner ends of the blades en gaged with the arms of the next group, so that the blades overlap and collectively cut a. swath whose width is'equal to the distance between the outer ends of the blades.

`7.111 a lawn mower a driven axle provided with cutting means, 1a bearing ein which an end portion ofthe` axle is jour" nalled, a traction wheel having a hub journalled on saidbearing, the bearing being provided with orifices in its inner end portipn,` and the hub. 4with an annular recess in the bearing orifices' and rojecting into the hub recess to prevent inward endwise displacement of the hub.

8. A lawn mower as specified by claim, having the spider arms positioned on the axle and the spiral cutting edges of the blades arranged at such an angle that the cutting action of each blade begins at a point in proximity to the end of the axle and progresses inwardly longitudinally of the axle, whereby the blades of the two two groups cut and deflect grass inwardly from4 the traction Wheels and prevent it from clogging the hubs of sajdLwheels.

9. A lawn mower comprising traction wheels and a rotary cuttino element com# posed of thin blades of resilient steel which are detachable, the sides and rear edges of the blades arranged to travel in substantially the same path as the cutting edges,

arms of one .group project into the spaces lcommunicating with said orifices and'hub- 'confining balls loosely confined by the axle and the space below and in front and to the rear'pf the blades entirely' unobstructed, so that the standing grass ia/ehe path of; the

blades is encountered only by the cutting edges, and the rotary cutter is rendered operative independent of any coacting means, the spaces between the blades permitting gras/s to stand in the path ot' each edge, and means for mounting and rotating said cutting element.

10. A. lawn mower comprising traction u wheels, an axle supported by the wheels, gearing connecting the traction wheels with the axle, blade4 holders fixed to the axle and ,Y including securing means adapted to .de-

' the blades being adapted,

., cured to the holders,

tachably engage sided resilient cutting blades detachably sesaid holders being arraiived to cause a spiral formation ot' the blades b f the operation of securing them to the holt ers, and to hold the sides of the blades non-radial to the axle, so that the sid-es ot' the blades follow the cutting edges, by the non-radial arrangement of their sides, to cut standing grass wholly by the impact ot their cutting edges against the grass.

blade ends, normally flat 11. A lawn mower comprising traction Wheels, an axle supported by the wheels, gearing connecting the traction wheels .with the axle and organized t0 rotate the axle in a direction opposite that of the rotation of the wheels, blade holders fixed to the axle and including securing means adapted to detachably engage blade ends, normally flat sided resilient cutting blades detachably secured to the holders, said holders being arranged t0 cause a spiral formation of the blades by the operation of securing the latter to the holders, and to hold the sides of the blades non-radial to the axle, s0 that the sides of the blades follow, the cutting edges, the blades being adapted, by the non-radial arrangement of their sides, to cut` standing grass wholly by the impact of their cutting edges against' the grass, the e'iiectiveness of the impact being increased by the specih'ed direction of rotation of the axle.

In testimony whereof I have aixedmy signature.

HERBERT B. NEVTON. 

